Sino-Indian border
The Indian army has been put on maximum alert following increased "activities" of China along the Indo-China border in the Arunachal Pradesh sector. "We have observed Chinese activities increasing on their side of the border since June last, for which the troops have been put on maximum alert," general officer commanding of army's four corps lt gen DB Shekatkar said.

IDBI to restructure NPAs
IDBI has drawn up major asset- and liability-rehauling plans to tackle its NPAs and high interest costs, the prime factors which pulled down its profits in the first half of the current fiscal. The financial institution is also considering lowering interest rates for some of its borrowers who arefinding repayment difficult due to high rates.

bFire-cracker blaze kills 42
Forty two people died of asphyxiation in Sonepat in Haryana after a fire broke out in a market where Diwali festival firecrackers were on sale, officials said on Sunday. The dead included 16 women and 12 children. Thirteen people were injured. The fire, which broke out on Saturday night, gutted 17 stores.

Cyclone loss put at Rs 2,750 cr
Thousands in cyclone-torn Orissa have succumbed to diarrhoea after drinking contaminated water, rescue workers said on Sunday. Officials said 1,693 bodies had been recovered so far from the coastal areas ravaged by the violent storm, and the death toll was expected to climb.The state government and industrialists in Bhubaneswar have projected their cumulative losses beyond a staggering Rs 2,750 crore.

Former GIC chief sues ministry
Former GIC chairman KC Mittal has sued the finance ministry, protesting against the attachment of his pension. The ministry had takenpunitive action against Mittal by attaching his pension, as he had joined the MP Birla-controlled Birla Corporation after his retirement, allegedly in violation of Government rules and regulations.

Search on for new IMF head
Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker confirmed in an interview with Reuters that the search is on for a replacement for France's Michel Camdessus as head of the International Monetary Fund. Juncker said it was important the 15 European Union nations were able to agree on a single candidate.

Tube Investments buys Steel Strips
Tube Investments of India has acquired the steel tubes business of the Chandigarh-based Steel Strips & Tubes for Rs 40 crore deal. The assets and liabilities of Steel Strips have been taken over by Tube Investments.

Cadbury offers VRS with frills
Chocolate major Cadbury India has launched an innovative voluntary retirement scheme for its employees, gift-wrapped with an LIC-monitored pension scheme and a medical allowance,besides the usual fare of a lumpsum retirement benefit. The pension scheme offers an average monthly payout of Rs 1,500-2,000 per employee.

Corporates Q2 net up 34%
The aggregate net profit of 350 companies which declared their second quarterly results during last week increased significantly by 34.1 per cent during July-September 1999. This has happened probably due to the significant rises in net profit of major companies like Asahi India, Binani Industries, Chemplast Sanmar, Dhanalakshmi Bank, IPCL, Ipca Lab, ECE Industries, and Tata Honeywell.

Glaxo Wellcome
British healthcare giant Glaxo Wellcome Plc may look at partnering Internet-based companies that offer services in line with the group's business strategies. Glaxo Wellcome spends around 4 per cent of its global revenues on information technology, and has 20,000 pages of information across 13 companies.

Mahanagar Gas, IOC in pact
Mahanagar Gas, a joint venture between British Gas and Gail, has struck an agreementwith Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum, and Bharat Petroleum for expanding its compressed natural gas outlets in Mumbai. With the Oil companies giving the go-ahead, Mahanagar Gas will now increase the number of outlets to 35, from 16, said a top official.

Experts split over Microsoft
A devastating legal decision that Microsoft used monopoly power to harm consumers left experts split whether the company should focus on appealing against the ruling or cut its losses and enter settlement talks that may lead to its break-up.

Suryoday Allo-Metal
Suryoday Allo-Metal Powders, a leading producer of iron ore powder in the country, is expanding its capacity from 11,000 tonnes to 19,200 tonnes. The expansion is scheduled to be completed by December first week.

FII investments up by Rs 428 cr
Net FII investments in the capital market during the week ended November 4 were positive at Rs 428.2 crore, according to information available with Sebi. During the week, FIIs reportedgross purchases of Rs 1,180.3 crore, while gross sales were Rs 752.1 crore.